Lynn Stevens was driving home from a dentist appointment one day when she got lost and ended up in the parking lot of a strip club. She stopped and prayed and asked God, “Why are you showing me this?” Lynn prayed for the women inside and wanted to leave notes on their cars to call her for coffee so she could offer support and share her journey with them. “My heart was so broken for the women that were where I was just a few years before. The more I prayed, the more clearly God spoke to my heart and told me to go back in there. I argued for a while, telling Him, ‘I’m not doing that.’ I didn’t want my story to be wasted so I said ‘Yes, I will go’ and it has been a wonderful journey.”
Lynn is the Director of We Are Cherished Ohio. They are a faith-based ministry that empowers women and their families impacted by the sex industry to live restored lives knowing they are loved, valued and cherished by Jesus. Every month Lynn leads a team of amazing Christian women in the strip clubs and massage parlors where they bring gift bags for the women filled with lip gloss, earrings, lotions, nail polish and a hand written note to let them know that they are loved, valued, cherished and not alone, and that they are praying for them. “There is also an invitation to our weekly dinner and support group that meets every Wednesday, along with our contact information.” Lynn teaches at their weekly support groups where they begin to create and sustain a network of support communities to the women they serve. She also speaks publicly about her childhood, years of domestic abuse, addiction and what led her in and out of the sex industry.
Besides being the Director of We Are Cherished Ohio, Lynn also has been a volunteer at Cozy Cat Cottage for nearly 2 years. She is there every Sunday as an adoption counselor. “You could say I am passionate about seeing animals and women living a life they were created to live.”
Lynn is fortunate enough to have a husband, Shawn, that does more than his fair share around the house, leaving her free to do ministry full time. “I have an amazing team of trained volunteers that I get to do ministry and life with and supportive friends that keep me on track and hold me accountable.”
Lynn would love to see one woman at a time discover her true identity and purpose in life. “I would love to see a world where all women are treated with love, care and respect, and not stolen, sold or used for profit.” Lynn would love to one day open a restaurant to give women from the industry an opportunity to work in a safe environment and to thrive, while they discover their own passion. She also plans to make a bigger impact in the coming year, to cover more territory and continue to express the love of Christ everywhere they go.
For more information about We Are Cherished, please visit www.wearecherishedohio.com